Rangers and Celtic both arrive at the Old Firm match in a rare equilibrium after simultaneous European humiliations, leaving supporters enraged and club boards under siege. Celtic suffered a mortifying defeat to Kairat, a side ranked 255 places lower in Uefa's coefficients, following two goalless, soulless games. Rangers matched their worst European performance in Bruges. Brendan Rodgers acknowledged a lack of agility in the transfer market while his own and head of football operations Paul Tisdale's player-evaluation missteps went largely unexamined. Celtic responded to Champions League elimination by signing players late, with Michel-Ange Balikwisha and Marcelo Saracchi arriving after the Kairat matches.
Rangers and Celtic have their own bespoke version of Newton's Law - when one is up the other must be down - but that's not the case this time. For once, there is equilibrium. It won't last, but following their European humiliations during the week, they are for now in the horrors together, side by side. Their supporters enraged, their respective boards under siege, it's hard to remember a time when both clubs were in such a grim place at the same time.
You could be there a while debating whose result was worse, Celtic losing to a team 255 places behind them in Uefa's club coefficient rankings, or Rangers equalling their worst ever European performance in their game in Bruges. Celtic have it, probably. Before Tuesday, Kairat ranked below Larne and Linfield, Shamrock Rovers and St Patrick's Athletic in the Uefa charts. It was their most mortifying failure since losing 5-0 against Artmedia Bratislava 20 years ago.
On Friday he once again spoke about the club's lack of "agility" in the transfer market, a point that is unarguable. His own missteps in player evaluation and the missteps of his head of football operations, Paul Tisdale, were not given a full airing, of course. His attempt to portray the club as a cohesive machine where no conflict existed was unconvincing based on some of the things he has been saying in recent weeks.
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